The following article was written when the parish school was celebrating its
centenary in 1983.

Mr Hancock was headmaster at that time.

It is important to remember this date when reading expressions like: "at present"; "today";
and "now".

Much of the article is based on Wilf
Drum's "History of Catholicism in Bridgwater" and on the "Memories of
Frank & Emily Loxston". Both histories can be seen on other pages of this
website. They were first published in St
Joseph's parish magazine, VOX POPULI, edited by J.C.D. Smith (Colin), which came out at two monthly
intervals from Easter 1966 until Christmas 1972.

(Apologies for the poor quality of the
pictures, which, in the absence of original photographs, were copied from R.I. Hancock's duplicated version of this article.)

When the present school was opened at Park Avenue, in
September 1963, it replaced the old school, which was built in 1883 beside St
Joseph's Church. Because of this, the year 1983 can be considered as the
centenary year of St Joseph's School, but the school could, in fact, claim to
have originated one hundred and thirty-seven years ago.

After the
Reformation, the organised practice of the Catholic religion did not return to
Bridgwater until 1845, when a small group of people began to assemble each
Sunday for mass to be celebrated in a private house in the town by the priest of
Holy Name Catholic Mission, Cannington. Bishop Bains was so impressed by their
zeal and enthusiasm that he approved their request for a fund to be opened to
enable a Catholic mission to be erected in Bridgwater. Within twelve months the
money was raised to purchase a 1½ acre site and erect a building, fifty feet
long by twenty-five feet wide, to provide a schoolroom, which could also be used
as a chapel until a larger church was built. The site was then known as St
John's Close, and was part of the land belonging to the Monastery and Hospice of
St John, which was destroyed at the time of the Reformation. The building is
still in existence and is now used as a welding shop at Gordon Terrace, off Cranleigh Gardens.

The mission was given the name of St Joseph’s and the
building was ready for the official opening on 17th February, 1846 AD. High
mass was celebrated by the Bishop’s M.C. for special functions, the Rev. J.
Bonomi, with three other priests and a choir from Prior Park Seminary. Two
months later, two cottages nearby were purchased and became known as "School
Cottages". In those days very little provision was made for the free education
of children, although there were several schools in the town where a fee was
charged, and also a number of small private schools with facilities for
boarders.

During the early days of the mission there was no resident
priest and the priest from Cannington visited for mass. However, in 1850 some
Dominican nuns from Bristol attempted to establish a foundation in Bridgwater
and a house in St John Street was rented for them, whilst they tried to purchase
a suitable residence in the town. The “School Cottages” were not available
because one was being used as a school and the other had been fitted out as a
presbytery where a visiting priest could stay overnight. It would seem that the
mission building was kept for use as a chapel. The nuns left Bridgwater the
following year, but the mission received financial assistance from them
regularly for the next fourteen years.

In 1852 a resident priest was appointed.
He was Thomas Francis Rooker, who shortly afterwards became a canon in the newly formed Diocese of
Clifton. He remained here until his death sixteen years later, and is buried
near the old mission building. Sometime, possibly before his time, St Joseph’s
School must have become officially recognised, because, in 1859, Canon Rooker,
as manager, applied to the Catholic Poor School Committee for a grant and was
awarded £15.

When the Education Act of 1870 was passed, it was reported
that only half the children in the country received even an elementary
education. The Act established, for the first time in England, a standard
system for elementary education and provided for the setting up of School Boards
for every district with costs to be met partly by rates and partly by the
Treasury. With regard to teaching religion, it was decided, at the
time, that this must be non-denominational.

In 1871 the priest at St Joseph’s was Fr Joseph Bouvier,
who came from France as a St Francis de Sales Missionary, but left the society
to work as a parish priest. Fr Bouvier was very zealous, and, during his five
years stay in Bridgwater, he was responsible for the setting up of a Catholic
mission at Highbridge, known as "Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Joseph".
It was served by him and his successors from Bridgwater for
seventeen years. He also made arrangements for the Catholic children in Highbridge to travel daily by train to attend the little Catholic
school in
Bridgwater. The cost to transport these children amounted to £25 per year and
was raised by an appeal supported by Bishop Clifford. As a result, eight
children were able to travel daily. The fare was 3d. return, and each child
paid fares for three days, and for the other two days the fares were paid from
the appeal fund. It was most unusual for children in those days to make a
journey to school, and the Bishop called it "a travelling school".

In 1878, the Education Authorities complained of
overcrowding at the Mission School and set a limit for the number of children to
be accommodated. This resulted in the Highbridge children leaving to attend a National School in
their own district. There were sixty communicants at the Easter masses in
Bridgwater that year. Discussions took place for developing the mission by extending the building,
probably with the possibility of using the extension as a schoolroom, but Bishop
Clifford decided that there should be a new church and school nearer the centre
of the town. The site was purchased at Binford Place for this purpose. The
present St Joseph's Church was opened in 1882 but the old buildings were not
sold immediately and were used as a school until the following year.

The Bishop approved plans to build a school
on part of the land purchased and he also approved the purchase of more
land in Binford Place, then occupied by stables, for further school
development, to accommodate two hundred pupils. That never materialised
and the extra site was eventually re-sold.

The building of St Joseph's School by contractor, Mr Kitch,
who built the church, commenced on 16th January, 1883. It was completed two
months later, at a cost of £212. Donations to cover the cost came, not only
from local people, but also from London and Bath, as well as from Mr Phillip
Hewitt, the founder of St Joseph's Church. The school was designed by the
parish priest, Fr Scoles, who was also the diocesan architect. It was described as "consisting of a school and classroom
with the necessary conveniences" and stood on land between King Street and the
presbytery. Actually it consisted of a two-roomed building with cloakrooms
attached. Each room had its own entrance from outside and there was no
inter-connecting door between them. One room, the schoolroom, was lofty and
lighted by windows on three sides. The classroom had a gallery in it. Both had
"iron tongued" floors. The lower part of the walls was polished cement
surrounded by a stained and varnished moulding, whilst the upper part was
plastered. The school had to be used for children of all ages up to school
leaving age (thirteen years) and was to accommodate seventy pupils. One room
was known as St Francis and the other as St Joseph.

On Easter Sunday, 1883, parents and children of the parish
assembled in church for a short service of prayers with Fr Scoles. They then
went in procession, via the old porch, from the church, through the door leading
to the school playground, where there was a swing and tossing boat, and across
to the school building. The procession was led by a cross bearer, two acolytes,
remaining altar boys and Fr Scoles, whilst a hymn to St Joseph was sung. After
the ceremony of blessing the school, Fr Scoles stressed the need for every child
to receive a good education.

Two days later the school was opened for pupils on
Tuesday. 27th March, 1883. The fee of 6d per week was rather high, especially
for parents with several children of school age.

Three such families were the Ryders, the O’Briens and the Dorans. Eighteen children attended on the first day, but within
a few days there were twenty-seven registered as pupils. They were:-

Mary Banks, John, Josephine, Deborah and

Charles Doran, Bessie Elson, Eliza Hobbs,

Annie Hembury, Frank Loxton, Lucy, Kate

and Ethel Musgrave, Walter, Joseph, Edward,

John, Richard, Rose, Celia and Margaret

O’Brien, Robert Potter, Ann Parsons, Frank,

Bernard and Ada Ryder, and George and Harry

Williams.

One of the pupils mentioned above, Frank Loxston, was a
non-Catholic at the time, and was at the school until the age of nearly
thirteen, whilst still a boy he was received into the Church and later became
an outstanding member of the parish.

The first school headmistress or governess was Mrs Burman, who
left after five months and she was succeeded by Miss Hunt. The assistant
teacher was Miss Cheadle, who was also the priest’s housekeeper. School governors were appointed with Fr Scoles as
manager and the school came under Government inspection from the start.

St. Joseph’s School quickly attained a high standard of
scholarship, and reports by His Majesty’s Inspectors gave favourable reports.
This resulted in parents transferring children from other schools, which brought
complaints of poaching from the other head teachers. The matter was eventually
settled, after Fr Scoles met and discussed the matter with heads of all
schools in the town.

The first of many social events to be held in the old school was
a tea party for children of the parish in September 1883, when "a plentiful
supply of tea, cake, fruit, marmalade, etc. was partaken by upwards of forty
children". After tea the evening was given up to games and amusements provided
by singing and recitations from some of the parents. Mr Yorke provided
lantern slides shown on a screen by means of a gas illuminated projector.

In September 1884, Fr Scoles made the first move to obtain the
services of the Sisters of Mercy in Bristol to send four of their congregation
to provide the teaching staff in the school. He purchased a house and
garden along with two cottages in King Street, at a cost of £400 from Mr Biddis
and converted them for use as a convent. The gallery upstairs in St Francis
schoolroom was also made into a living room for the sisters. The
arrangements were approved by Bishop Clifford before they took up residence at the convent in King Street on 17th August,
1885.

Mother Angela, along with Sisters Margaret Mary, Mary Bernard,
Mary Elizabeth and another teacher, Miss Agnes Barrett, were welcomed by
children who attended the day school or Sunday school, at a tea party in the
schoolroom. The event concluded with benediction in the church. Mother Angela
became headmistress with Miss Barrett as assistant teacher.

Eventually, the use of the schoolroom was found to be too
small to accommodate the people wishing to attend social events, and in 1888
modifications were made. A large opening was made in the dividing wall between
the two rooms of the school and folding doors erected. This enabled the two
rooms to be used separately for school purposes and to be converted into a
parish hall for social occasions.

The Corpus Christi celebrations of 1890,
described in the local press, named several children taking special parts in the
procession. Twelve little girls, spreading flowers, were Ada Wilcox, Lily
Baker, Flossie and Minnie Ellis, Eliza and Emmy Thomas, Alice, Emma and Jennie
Redman, Minnie O’Brien, Harriet Fox and Dorothy Ling. Twelve boys, following
with lighted candles were Philip, Cecil and Sebastian Burchell, George and Henry
Williams, Thomas Ryden and Bertie and Charlie Doran.

Fr Scoles was transferred
to Yeovil at the end of June 1891, to build a church, and at the same time the
Sisters of Mercy and Miss Barrett also left Bridgwater. This was an
extraordinary thing to happen and it left a desperate situation facing Fr
O’Meara, the new parish priest at St Joseph’s. Not only did he follow an
outstanding organiser, but there was a school with approximately fifty or sixty
pupils and no teachers. During the next eight months three headmistresses were
appointed. The first was dismissed after four months, the second stayed three
months and the third lasted only a week! Fr O’Meara took charge of the school
himself for ten days, until a certificated teacher, Miss Mary McDonald, became
headmistress at St Joseph’s School on 22nd February 1892.

Sadly, the number of pupils fell to
twenty-four. The school summer holiday was increased that year from two weeks
in August to three weeks. Holy Days of Obligation were treated as half-day
holidays, but the children arrived at the usual time in the morning for assembly
at school, before going into church for mass and returning to school until
mid-day. Miss McDonald proved to be an excellent headmistress, and in 1893 the
school had forty-one pupils attending. They were:-

John Angling, Lily Baker, Florence,

Lily and Edward Bradford,

Isabel and Samuel Burgess,

James Culliford,

Ethel Dyke

Lily, Alice, Ethel and Agnes Dyment,

Minnie Evis,

Harriet Fox,

Thomas Gillespie,

Florence Hayman,

Irene Humphries,

Gladys and Leslie Newbury,

John and Francis O’Brien,

Alice, Bessie and Ernest Parham,

Austin and Frank Parsons,

Florence and Lily Patten,

Arthur Sherwood,

Lucy Webster,

Lydia Willcox

Jessie and Phylis Wood.

However, another setback occurred that year, when Fr
O'Meara was recalled to Ireland at the end of his loan period. The Bishop was
unable to find another parish priest for twelve months, during which time mass
was said each Sunday by a visiting priest, Miss McDonald kept the school going
and maintained a high standard of scholarship, but the buildings were in a poor
state. Her Majesty's Inspector complained about the condition of the lavatories
and the use of a room 11’ 8" x 10’ 8" for infants. He insisted that this room
be used as intended, viz, a cloakroom. On 23rd June, 1894, Miss McDonald
resigned. The school appears to have closed down with her departure and there
are no school records for the next twenty years.

In 1894 there were still only
one thousand five-hundred and sixty-three Catholic churches or religious houses
in the whole country, and the Catholic population was a small minority. There
were no more than one hundred Catholics out of the thirteen thousand people in
Bridgwater. The old School Board’s responsibility for education was taken over
by Municipal and County Council Education Authorities. These bodies were
compelled, not only to maintain a suitable standard for elementary education,
but to provide facilities with a standard leading to University entrance. They
were also made responsible for the cost of upkeep of denominational schools. St
Joseph’s School, at that time not in use, did not benefit. Canon Wadman died at
in 1914 and Dr Browne, his successor, spent the years of World War I almost to
the day as parish priest. Immediately he had work carried out on the old school
buildings to make them habitable with the hope of re-opening them as the parish
school. He had gas heaters fitted and the rooms decorated. This was fortunate
because many Belgians were fleeing to England because of the German invasion and
some, mostly Catholics, reached Bridgwater. Dr Browne spoke their language and
was able to help them find accommodation. The school was re-opened for
twenty-seven children with one Belgian teacher from amongst the refugees and
continued for the next four years.

Under the direction of Dr Browne, whist
drives, concerts and other social gatherings were organised in the school.
Unfortunately Dr Browne fell victim of an influenza epidemic and died four days
after the armistice in 1918, aged 41 years. He was very popular in Bridgwater
and the school children contributed to purchase a large framed photograph of Dr
Browne and this was placed in the schoolroom.

The school was not functioning when the new young parish
priest, Fr Iles, was appointed, but he showed a great interest and desire to
re-establish it. The cost of re-fitting the schoolroom and re-opening it
without any outside financial help made this impossible. Fr Iles took a great
interest in the Sunday School classes and arranged many day outings for children
of the Parish. Annual examinations were held by the Diocesan Examiner and
prizes were given for the best pupils. Fr Iles also encouraged social events to
keep the parishioners actively engaged in fund raising. One item purchased was
an American organ for use with the children instead of using the large organ in
the church. On 29th September, 1919, Fr Iles purchased a garage and cattle
yard, thirty-nine feet long, in King Street, as a site for a school building
alongside the old school. The land, leased to Mr G. Unite, butcher, was
purchased from Mrs Mary Squibbs for £275 but with no parish fund available, Fr
Iles loaned £150 himself and borrowed £125 from Stuckey’ Bank to pay for it.
The parish worked hard to re-pay these loans and to build the new school, but
the plan never materialised. The site was eventually used-as a school
playground twenty years later.

Shortly after World War I, the new coalition government
compelled children to remain at school up to the age of fourteen years, and
abolished fees for elementary schools. The employment of children under twelve
years of age was forbidden.

The old school was still used for Sunday school and
small social events and on 15th January 1920 it was used for a welcome home
party for ex-servicemen of the parish returning home from World War I. Some
men, unable to attend, sent apologies, but twenty were present and one of the
highlights of the evening was the entertainment given by children of the parish,
trained by Miss Millwright.

The next twenty years brought no improvement in the parish
elementary school situation, but throughout these years each parish priest
ensured that the children were given a sound religious education by taking a
personal activity in the organisation and teaching at Sunday school classes.

Canon Davey reserved the front rows of the church for the children and by way of
instruction he adopted the method of asking questions and allowed the children
to put up their hands if they knew the answer. Some of the answers caused great
amusement for the adult members of the congregation, but the talks were very
instructional to both children and adults. Canon Davey accompanied his
specially trained children’s choir on the American organ. The carol singing at
Christmas was a great joy to all who heard them.

The priests were, fortunately, able to find some
parishioners capable of teaching successfully and one, outstanding for the
amount of time given, was Mrs Emily Loxston, wife of Mr Frank Loxston. She
taught for thirty-two years. During this period a new school was proposed and
the congregation worked hard with concerts, whist drives and socials to augment
the fund.

The parish school building was used solely as a parish hall until
after the commencement of World War II.

About the middle of 1939, shortly after
the arrival of Fr Byrne as parish priest, Bishop Lee visited for the
administration of Confirmation and announced his intention to open a convent in
Bridgwater for the Sisters of the Holy Rosary, a missionary order from Killeshandra in Ireland. Later he purchased a large house, which had remained
unoccupied for several years, for use as a convent and private school. The
lawns and gardens were overgrown and the house had suffered damage from the
weather and by young intruders. While the war was threatening, two young men,
popularly known as John and Jim, arrived from Ireland to clear the grounds and
to assist in the preparation of the house for habitation by the Sisters. Three
weeks after the declaration of World War II the first Sisters of the Holy Rosary
visited Bridgwater on 23rd September, 1939. Rev. Mother Mary Augustine, the
first Mother General of Holy Rosary Order, came with Sisters Mary John the
Baptist, Mary Benignus and Mary Philip. One week later Mother Mary Xavier took
up residence as the first Rev. Mother of the Holy Rosary Convent, Bridgwater,
accompanied by Sisters Mary Ignatius and Mary Christopher.

On 11th October, 1939, the Holy Rosary Convent School
opened with Sister Mary Christopher as the first principal of the school. The
sisters also took over the Sunday school classes and began an evening religious
class at St Joseph's. Encouraged by Bishop Lee, Fr Byrne agreed to consider the
prospect of re-opening the old parish school although he realised the parish
would have great difficulty in maintaining a voluntary school. The building of
a new school was out of the question in wartime, even if money had been
available, but with an increase in the number of catholic children in the town,
some as refugees from large cities, the need was great. The Bishop gave
permission to Fr Byrne to prepare the old school building for re-opening. Fr
Byrne and the two young Irishmen who worked at the convent carried out the
necessary maintenance and modifications to convert the old school building and
the old convent house in King Street into a large parish school.

A passageway from the schoolroom to the old convent house
was opened up and a large window was fitted in the main classroom. The Education
Authorities approved the modified buildings for use as a school, but not up to
the standard required as "fully recognised". This meant the cost of running the
school had to be borne by the parish. The parishioners accepted the burden and
carried it for the next twenty-three years. After the school had been
redecorated and the yard tarmac-ed Bishop Lee provided the school with desks and
all the other school furnishings demanded by the Education Authorities. The
Sisters of the Holy Rosary accepted responsibility for providing the teaching
staff, and parents in the parish were requested to transfer their children from
other schools they were attending.

THE SCHOOL IN THE EARLY 1940's

The school re-opened on 8th January, 1940, with
Sister Mary Rosari as headmistress and Sister Mary Ignatius Dalton and Sister
Mary Philip O’Connell as assistant teachers. When registration finished that
day fifty-seven pupils were on roll and most were from other schools in
Bridgwater. Heads of the schools concerned complained of poaching, just as
other head teachers had done when the school opened originally. Some questioned
the ability of the sisters to teach, but they were all fully qualified and the
matter resolved itself. Eight months after the re-opening there were one
hundred and fifteen pupils attending.

The names of some of the first pupils
often have a familiar ring in the modern classroom, names like George and Mary
Blake, John and Bridie Taylor, Betty and Jean Long, David Grey, Cynthia Sparks,
Cecilia and Michael Pakenham, Barbara and Margaret Norman, John and Sheila Stagg,
June Palmer, Peter Rainey, Joan and Teresa Apperley, Barbara Unite, Pat Lewis,
Maria, Brian and Colin Selway, Jean McKenna and Gerry Salt. Many of the first
pupils now live away from Bridgwater. Betty Long, now better known as Sister
Aquinas, is headmistress of St Winifred’s Primary School, Heaton Mersey,
Stockport, remembers St Joseph’s School was like an oasis of peace for the
children whose country had just been plunged into war with Germany. There was a
strong family atmosphere in the school and the sisters, who were well respected,
knew all the families connected with the school intimately. Religious
instruction played a prominent part-in the curriculum of the school and the
feasts of the Holy Rosary and St Joseph were looked forward to with great
excitement.

Before the end of 1940, Sister Mary Philip O’Connell left
Bridgwater for mission work and her place was taken by Sister Mary Consilia
O’Donovan, who was destined to spend many years working for the children of St
Joseph’s School. The war years were difficult for everyone and before long
Sister Mary Ignatius Dalton’s health deteriorated and she spent much time in
hospital before she died in 1944 and was replaced by Sister Mary Michael
0’Regan.

Prior to the end of World War II the Government passed an
Education Act which promised action to enable children, over the age of eleven,
to have secondary modern, technical or grammar school education, though, at that
time, there were insufficient schools for this to function. St Joseph’s old
school continued to take pupils up to the age of fourteen for many more years.

Towards the end of World War II Fr O’Connell, who had
served some years as army chaplain during World War I, became parish priest. He
took a great interest in the maintenance and condition of the school buildings.
He encouraged all groups in the parish to hold functions to raise money to cover
these costs, but, after every social gathering held in the school, he used to
make a personal check around to ensure that everything was in order. After a
social held by the Legion of Mary in September 1948 he made his usual check,
but, on his return to the presbytery, he was severely shocked and staggering.
It is thought that he had tripped and fallen, but he did not regain
consciousness to explain what had happened. Despite an immediate visit by the
doctor and his removal to the hospital, he died within two days of the accident.

Sister Mary Rosari returned to the mission at the end of
the War in 1945 and Sister Mary Consilia became headmistress until 1949,
supported by Sister Mary Perpetua Walsh and Sister Mary Alberta O'Neill. Sister
Mary Basil McNutty and Sister Mary Malachy Black also taught at St Joseph's for
some time. When Sister Mary Consilia left to return to the missions Sister
Mary Malachy Black became headmistress, and in 1949 Sister Mercedes Ryan and
Sister Mary Giovanni Gilmartin became members of the teaching staff.

The school
was still functioning, staffed by the Sisters, when Fr Ryan became parish priest
in 1949. He immediately showed a great interest in the welfare and education of
the children in the parish. To avoid using the school hall for every parish
event, he arranged for the cottage to be converted for use as a parish room. Mr
R. Cudbill, who did a good deal of maintenance work for the parish, made the
ground floor into a single room, by knocking down the internal dividing walls.
Eventually this building was used occasionally as a temporary classroom.

After the summer holiday in 1951, the school re-opened with
ninety-six pupils in three groups. Senior, Middle and Junior Divisions. Sister
Mary Malachy was replaced by Sister Mary Camillus as headmistress and teacher of
the Senior Division. Sister Mary Mercedes and Sister Mary Giovanni continued
teaching the Middle and Junior Divisions. Mrs Murry, Mrs Thefaut, Mrs Reeves
and Mrs Dodden also assisted at the school. Fr Ryan introduced a special
midweek mass for the school children each Wednesday at 9.00 a.m. A children's
choir was formed and sometimes sang at a Sunday mass. An annual Christmas party
was arranged for the children in the school and in 1951 the Father Christmas was
Mr Walter Till, who was the handyman and gardener at the convent.

At the
end of the Christmas term, Fr Ryan presided over the distribution of prizes to
the children with the highest marks gained for school tests, good conduct and
attendance at Sunday school. Prizes for each of these were given to winners in
Senior Division, Middle Division and Junior Division. His great ambition was to
have a completely new school for the parish and his immediate task was to ensure
that the parishioners worked towards achieving it. By Fr Ryan's efforts the
Annual Sale of Work or Bazaar was transferred from the Co-operative Hall in West
Quay to Bridgwater Town Hall and the profit went from £120, the previous year,
to £308. He also arranged for a garden fete to be held annually in the Holy
Rosary Convent grounds to raise money for the parish and the convent. The
Sisters of the Holy Rosary ensured that the children of both schools, and they
themselves, took an active part, by producing things for sale, manning stalls,
helping with preparations, etc. At the first, which was opened by the Mayor of
Bridgwater, two children from St Joseph's School, Kenneth McGhee and Christine Thefaut, presented gifts to the Mayor and his wife.

As with the Sale of Work, the Garden Fete became an annual
event, and both still play an important part in meeting the parish expenses and
in the social activity of the parishioners. Mr Bernard White and Mr Jack
Nation were the first secretary and treasurer respectively for the fete and Sale
of Work, and they continued in these offices for about ten years. Mr Brian
Wills was secretary for five years, during the early Sixties, but in later years
Mr Bob Cornell and Mr John Sellick organised both events on at least fifteen
occasions.

In 1952, Fr Aherne, parish priest at the time of producing this booklet,
came to Bridgwater as curate. He showed a great interest in school activities
and sometimes took a group of children to Cranleigh Gardens for sports
training.

In January 1952 Sister Mary Giovanni was replaced by Sister Mary
Fergus and the Junior Division was divided to have the very young children in a
kindergarten. Sister Mary Fergus took the Kindergarten children and Mrs Tucker
(a parishioner and qualified teacher) took the Junior Division until Miss Foulie
(a trainee teacher from Notre Dame, London) was appointed in the autumn. Sister
Mary Fergus returned to Ireland after nine months to complete her teacher
training and Sister Mary Redemptoris came to Bridgwater to take charge of the
kindergarten.

The dining room and kitchen of the school were converted so
that one could be used for Holy Angels Group and the other could be a playroom
for the tiny tots "St Gabriel's" Group. Dining facilities for the school
children were provided by converting the upper storey of the cottage, known as
the Parish Room, into two dining rooms and a kitchenette. New floor boards were
fitted and a new staircase installed. All this work was carried out by Messrs
R. Cudbill and F, Palmer, who also redecorated the schoolroom.

Children up to
the age of fourteen attended the school and Sister Mary Camillus provided the
opportunity for some of them to have lessons in subjects outside the usual
curriculum. Mrs Dodden and later Mrs Blake took a needlework class each week.
Miss Gumming of Highbridge took an art class and Miss Yvonne Nicholls gave some
pupils piano lessons. Later Sister Mary Assumpta, a fine musician, gave piano
lessons for children from the school and others at the convent. Some attended
the convent for shorthand and typing lessons from Sister Mary Gerard.

In 1953 Sister Mary Mercedes was appointed as principal at
the Convent School, but she still continued to take a great interest in all the
children of the parish and in every activity. Sister Mary Ligouri took her place as teacher of the Senior
Division at St Joseph's. In 1953 Sister Mary Camillus entered the school, for
the first time, at the Annual Music Festival in Highbridge.

The picture below shows Sister Mary Camillus with
some of the successful children holding certificates after the Highbridge Music
Festival. Note the new school uniform introduced in 1952. The school won
certificates in every section entered and was very successful again when taking
part in the Festival the following year. Certificates, during the Festival, were won by the
following pupils:- Jennifer Rodman, Maureen Cudbill, Ann Pullen, Kenneth
McGhee, David Blacklock, Deirdre Bentley, Michael Bollan, Marian Hill, Bernard
Drum, Kenneth Treanor, Teresa Nurton, Jennifer Lilley, Valerie O'Duyer, Rose Ede,
Rosemary Bernard, Beryl White, Joyce Slocombe and John McElthalton.
Certificates were also won by the senior school 21 group: Mr T. Bale and Mrs
D. A. Burt assisted as accompanists on the violin and piano respectively.

In 1952, Patricia Eckerley (second prize) and Maureen
Cudbill (first prize) took part in the Bridgwater Literary Competition and were
awarded their prize at the Odeon Cinema by the Mayor. That year, Sister Mary
Ligouri was replaced by Sister Mary Veronica, and a temporary trainee teacher,
Miss Rita Young of Glastonbury, was appointed to the staff due to the increase
in the number of pupils on roll, which now stood at one hundred and forty-five.
This was further increased to one hundred and sixty-four in 1954.

That year the
children of St Joseph's School gave a concert in the Town Hall for the first
time. It was performed on St Patrick's Night and was so successful that it was
repeated again at the Cranleigh Centre. The Mayor congratulated the sisters and
children on the fine performance. Shortly after that the Red Cross and St
John's Ambulance Brigade hired the Arts Centre for the concert to be repeated
before an audience from the Bridgwater Over Sixty's Club, In 1954 Fr Aherne
left the parish and the new assistant priest was Fr O'Brien. There were also
changes in the school staff. Sister Mary Veronica was replaced by Sister Mary
Dominic, who had to suddenly vacate the post due to ill health, and Sister Mary
Ambrose replaced her as teacher of the Senior Division. Because of the increase
in pupils it was necessary to form an additional class for children between the
ages of seven and nine years, to be named St Sartoe with Miss Foulie as
teacher. Miss Thomas of Burnham-on-Sea was engaged to take over the St John
Bosco class and Miss Young, trainee teacher, left. A room at Unity House,
Dampiet Street, was hired to serve as a classroom for Miss Foulie and the St
John Bosco Class.

Sister Mary Redemptoris then left and was replaced as teacher
of Holy Angels by Miss Ann Pullen, an ex-pupil of the school.

The majority of
the sisters who left St Joseph's School went to serve in the foreign missions of
Africa.

The school was affected to some extent in December 1954 by changes made
to accommodate people on Sundays when the church was full. The wall between the
old porch and the old parish room was partially removed to fit folding doors
which could be opened when necessary, in order to allow people to sit in the
parish room and have a view of the altar in church. Unfortunately, this
modification made the parish room less suitable for use as a temporary
classroom.

The number of pupils was still increasing, and in September 1955,
Miss Maureen Cudbill, an ex-pupil, was appointed as the first school secretary
of St Joseph's School. It was decided to try and win more scholarships from the
school for pupils to gain admission to the local grammar schools and a special
scholarship division was formed of pupils chosen from St Sartoe's and St
Teresa's classes. This new class became known as St Patrick's. A room at the
Y.M.C.A. building (which then stood on the corner of Eastover and Salmon Parade)
was rented at £100 per year to serve as a classroom. St Mary Theresita took
charge of the scholarship class.

Throughout 1955, socials, bring and buy sales, etc. were
held in the Co-operative Hall, Parish Room and Sydenham Community Centre, mostly
organised by the Catholic Women's League, Knights of St Columba and Legion of
Mary, and dances were held at the Town Hall on St Patrick's Night and St George's
Night. Prayers were offered continuously for success with the new school
project, and by 1956, a parish social committee, with representatives from every
parish organisation, was arranging most of the fund raising events. It was
known that Fr Ryan was trying to acquire a plot of land at Park Avenue for the
site for a new school and at Easter he announced that he had succeeded in
purchasing this site for £1,511. There was no money available, however, for
building such a school, and St Joseph's was only one of a long list of parishes
hoping to receive cash from the Diocesan Development Fund and paying an annual
contribution to it. The land ceased to be used for allotments and then had to
be frequently cleared of long grass by volunteers. That year there were two
hundred and five pupils registered at the old school and classes were being held
at Unity House, the Y.M.C.A. building and occasionally at the Cranleigh
Community Centre, in addition to the school building. Holy Rosary Convent were
informed that more sisters were being made available for Bridgwater, because
only fully qualified members of staff could be retained, St Joseph's School
regretted losing Miss Foulie, Miss Thomas and Miss Cudbill (Secretary) after
giving very satisfactory service.

In 1957, Fr Ryan also had to announce that the school could
only retain pupils up to the age of twelve years. From then all Catholic
children in Bridgwater over the age of eleven-plus had to attend one of the
local secondary schools, unless their parents were prepared to pay the fees for
private education. Some parents sent their sons away to Catholic boarding
schools and their daughters attended a convent school at either Burnham-on-Sea
or Taunton. It was also understood that the proposed new Catholic school would
be able to cater only for children up to eleven-plus, but this did not lessen
the determination of the parishioners to proceed with the project. Fr Ryan was
transferred to Bedminster in March 1958 and, during his last twelve months as
parish priest, the income of the parish was £4,844. Out of that, nearly £2,000
had to be found to pay for the upkeep of the school, and the contribution to the
Diocesan Development Fund.

In addition to the need to build a new school there
was a necessity for more accommodation at the church. Fr Morrissey, the new
parish priest, purchased land at Fairfax Road, Sydenham, in 1959 for £1,002 with
a view to building a second Catholic church. This left only £1,112 in the
building fund, and in view of the fact that a new school was so urgently
needed. Bishop Rudderham insisted that building consent would not be given to
build a £15,000 church unless there was at least £10,000 in the parish building
fund. This was wise, because there was no sign of money being received from the
Diocesan Fund to build the new school and it seemed that the parish would
eventually have to obtain the money for it by borrowing.

In 1961, Fr Morrissey
asked the Bishop to allow the parish to cease contributing to the Diocesan Fund,
in order to use the money to pay interest on a loan from the bank to build the
school. The Bishop agreed that the levy to the fund would be lifted if the
parish accepted the financing of building and he wanted positive evidence that
they could raise a regular income sufficient to meet the extra burden of paying
interest on £50,000. A parish meeting was held in the old school, and Fr
Morrissey explained the situation and the need to increase the parish income.
The parishioners reacted enthusiastically and the parish income for 1962 rose to
£7,055. By May 1962, the Bishop had been convinced that they would be able to
take on the task of building a new school and he gave his permission.

When the
Diocese gave approval for building the school, the Ministry of Education, the
County Education Authority and the Local Authorities were informed and their consent
obtained. The new building was not replacing a "fully recognised" school and
was therefore, not eligible for a grant, but, when complete, it had to be up to
"fully recognised" standard. A grant of £7,858 for furniture and fittings was made later. The
Authorities
were, therefore, entitled to give their views on all decisions, e.g. plans,
building contractors, building standards, appointment of teachers, etc. A
school management committee was formed and the first meeting of managers was
held at the Presbytery on 14th February, 1962. The first managers
were Fr Morrissey (elected chairman), three parishioners - the Hon. Miss M.
Acland-Hood, Mr J. Nation and Dr B. Martin, with Councillor F. Phillips
representing the local Council and Mrs Hannam representing the Somerset County
Council. The Divisional Education Officer, Mr Robert Hawkins, attended most
meetings throughout the planning and building stages, as did a representative
from the Somerset Education Committee. Mr J. Nation acted as correspondent when
the committee was first formed, but later in the year Mrs Elizabeth Hamrozy was
appointed correspondent and held the post for four years.

Fr Morrissey
successfully negotiated a loan from the bank, and Messrs Hicks of Highbridge
were given the contract to build St Joseph's Primary School at Park Avenue.

BUILDING SITE FOR NEW SCHOOL

Work started within weeks, and throughout the digging of
the foundations and the whole building project, Fr Morrissey made a photographic
record. The foundation stone was laid on Wednesday, 3rd October, 1962, by Mgr
Provost Canon Iles, representing Bishop Rudderham, who was attending the Vatican
II Council in Rome. Representatives of the Diocesan Schools Commission, clergy
of Taunton Deanery, sisters of the Holy Rosary and several hundred parishioners,
amongst whom was a large number of school children, including the Brownies.

Mgr Iles praised Fr Morrissey and the parishioners for their courage and generosity
in building the school at their own expense. He expressed his personal
pleasure, as a former parish priest at St Joseph's, to see at last a start on
the realisation of this long awaited ambition. The choir sang the "Te Deum" and
the parishioners joined with them in the singing of the hymn "Come Holy Ghost".

THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE 1962

Mr V. A. H. Barton, L.R.I.B.A., of Bridgwater, was the
architect for the new school. The accommodation in the classroom wing comprised
six classrooms, each with cloakroom and toilet facilities. The wing had a paved
terrace overlooking the playing field. The assembly hall had a full stage, for
the production of plays, and there was a small chapel set off the flank of the
hall. This was fitted with glazed doors which, when opened, allowed people in
the hall a direct view of the chapel. Behind the stage, which serves as a
dining area on schooldays, was constructed a well equipped kitchen. The stage
could also be brought into use as a classroom if required. Much of the high
standard mahogany furniture and fittings throughout the school were built by Mr
Hamrozy, a parishioner.

The cost of the school, including the land (bought
earlier) and the statue and chapel furnishings (donated) amounted to £60,831, as
follows:-

Contractor
£ 53,170- 0- 0

Architect
£ 3,175-11- 6

Quantity Surveyor
£ 1,862- 3- 0

Clerk of Works
£ 795-11- 7

Sundries £ 19- 2- 6

Cost of Site
£ 1,511- 3- 0

Statue and Chapel Furnishings
£ 298- 6- 6

_____________

£
60,831-18- 1

_____________

Unfortunately, when the building was completed, Fr
Morrissey was unable to be present to acknowledge the many expressions of praise
and thanks for the valuable service he had given to the parish. Though he
showed no signs of fatigue to his people, the stress and workload was seriously
affecting his health, and the Bishop relieved him of the burden just a few
months before the school was ready for use. He left Bridgwater on 23rd April,
1963, for a complete rest before taking up the responsibility for another
parish. St Joseph's School now stands as a monument to his courage and
dedication.

The new St Joseph's School 2nd March 1963

The old school near the church finally closed down with one hundred
and thirty-one registered pupils at the end of the summer term, nearly eighty
years after it was first opened. The building was not immediately dismantled,
but fitted with new heating for use by the parish youth club and for small
functions until it was demolished and the site cleared for the church extension
in 1982.

DEMOLITION OF THE OLD SCHOOL, 1982

The new school did not qualify for a building grant from
the Education Authorities .but they supplied the fittings and furnishings. They
also accepted responsibility for kitchen and dining space and repaid £ 10,504.14.9d. to the parish.

Not having to find the money for dining
facilities, cost of site and chapel, etc., the debt on the parish was
approximately £48,500. A refund of £2,914 by the Bishop from the Diocesan
School Fund, and an anonymous donation of £1,000 helped reduce the amount
borrowed. Fr McReynolds, the new parish priest, arranged for the £3,542,
standing to the credit of the new church fund, to be used, which also saved
interest payments. The interest on money borrowed from the bank was at a
favourable rate, but the annual interest charge per annum still amounted to
approximately £2,000. Fortunately, the parish was blessed by a loan of
£12,000 at the very low interest rate of 2% and later by another very generous
loan of £23,000 interest free. In this way, the drain on the parish by interest
payments was reduced from £2,000 per annum to slightly less than £300 per
annum. This enabled the loans to be gradually paid off, and by 1976 the school
debt was cleared.

When the time came for the appointment of a head teacher, the
choice had to be made by the managers, together with the Divisional Education
Officer, Mr R. Hawkins and Miss P. M. Rolfe, the Education Committee Inspector.
On 12th April, 1963, seven candidates from different parts of the county were
interviewed, and Sr Mary Ligouri, head of the old school, was appointed as the
first head teacher. Before her work at the old school, she had had wide
experience and founded four missionary schools abroad.

The following month the
managers and representatives interviewed four candidates for deputy head and
appointed Mr H. Passman from Hull, who commenced his working life in industry,
before studying to gain the necessary qualifications to teach.

The remaining
five vacancies were difficult to fill, because there was a shortage of teachers
at the time. Three applicants were chosen for interview and all proved suitable
and were appointed. Sister Mary Bernadette Soubirous had taught at the Holy
Rosary Convent School, and was taking her final examinations. Also
appointed were Miss J. Brown, a teacher at Eastover School, Bridgwater, who was
educated at La Retraite Convent, Burnham-on-Sea, and Miss T. Leser, who had
taught in private schools in England and at missionary schools abroad. Later,
Mrs Pearson was engaged as a supply teacher. Efforts were made to obtain
another male teacher, but there were no replies to advertisements.

All other
employees at the school were chosen by the managers, with a suitable
representative present from the authorities. Mrs W. Hutchings was the first
clerical assistant and remained until April, 1965, when Mrs T. N. Clark, the
present secretary, was appointed. Other appointments when the school first
opened were cook, Mrs Lindley, assistant cook, Mrs Woollan, general canteen
assistants, Mrs Crossman, and Mrs Murphy. Meals supervisory assistants, Mrs
Gillard, Mrs O'Hare and Mrs Giles. The first caretaker was Mr Jeffries, who was
soon replaced by Mr W. B. Rowe.

St Joseph's R.C. Primary School, Park Avenue, opened for
pupils on 2nd September, 1963. There was no official opening at that time
because the Bishop was again in Rome on Vatican Conference duties and this
ceremony was postponed for almost eight months.

The official opening was carried out during the second term
of school by His Lordship the Bishop of Clifton, the Rt Rev. Joseph Rudderham,
D.D., M.A., on Thursday, 30th April, 1964 at 3.00 p.m. The Order of Ceremonial
was as follows:-

Blessing of new school by the Bishop.

Introduction by Rev. J. G. McReynolds

(Chairman of the Managers)

His Lordship to declare the school open,

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor G. C. Harris, J.P.

Vote of thanks Mr R. l-l. Hawkins, M.Ed., B.A.,

(Divisional Education Officer)

One of the invited guests was Mr Frank Loxston, who was
one of the first pupils when the original school opened in 1883.

FRANK LOXSTON AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW SCHOOL

During that term, the school entered the Area Sports
(Juniors) and won the shield for the best Primary School; cup for the best
girls' relay team; and cup for the best high jump.

The school had been
designed for two hundred and forty pupils and all places were immediately
applied for, so that it was apparent that there was a need for additional
classrooms. In April 1965 the number on the school roll increased to two
hundred and fifty and the managers approached the Ministry of Education, who
stated that they would grant 80% of the cost of a new classroom. An extra
teacher was allocated in September, and it became necessary to use the entrance
hall and corridors as classrooms on occasions. Another ploy was the use of the
stage as a classroom for the infants and it was not until 1973 that an
additional classroom was built.

In May 1965, Mr H. Passman resigned and Mr J.
Tucker was chosen from four candidates for the post of deputy head. He took up
his appointment in September, 1965. Mrs J. Newcomb also joined the staff at
that time and she, of course, is still at the school.

At that time primary school children were selected by the
"Eleven Plus" examination, to determine which type of secondary school they
would attend. St Joseph's School arranged an 'Open Evening' for parents to
visit the school to enquire about their children's progress. The selection examination was
slightly changed in 1966, with two "Reasoning Tests" replacing the tests in
Mathematics and English. After 1972, the "Eleven Plus" examination was
abolished, when the Comprehensive School system was introduced into the area. St Joseph's School managers
and parishioners proposed that all children from St Joseph's should transfer to
one particular comprehensive school, where the teaching of religion could be
arranged. Haygrove was suggested but the authorities would not agree to the
idea.

Sister Mary Ligouri resigned before the Comprehensive System was
introduced. When she left in December 1969, she was the last of an unbroken
sequence of Sisters of the Holy Rosary Order holding the post of head of St
Joseph's School, Bridgwater, since January 1940. Mr P. A. Barnfield was
appointed the next head teacher in April 1970. The school roll was then almost
at its highest ever, viz. two hundred and fifty-one and it reached two hundred
and sixty in June that year, because of the attendance of children of the Irish
Rangers, at that time, stationed at Donniford. Official records named it as the
only school in Bridgwater which was overcrowded. The Catholic authorities
advised Fr McReynolds that they would approve the building of another classroom,
but the Ministry still insisted on the parish finding 20 of the cost. Fr
McReynolds called a meeting of parents, explained the situation, and informed
them that the amount they would have to find was £1,600.

It was agreed
that £250 in the school fund, donated by Sister Ligouri (the farewell present
she had received from the parishioners and children) could go towards the
proposed building of the additional classroom. From the meeting on 11th June,
1970, a parents' committee was formed to organise events to raise the money,
with Sq. Ldr Haddon, as chairman, Mr Tucker, secretary, Mr Moffatt, treasurer,
and Mr P. Nation and Mr D. Welsh. The committee was extremely successful with
dances held in the school, and at hotels in the town, and a thrift club was
formed.

Once again the managers appointed Mr V. A. H, Barton as architect, and
the builders on this occasion were Roberts Bros of Bridgwater. The additional
classroom, measuring 9.25 metres by 8 metres, together with an infant annex,
including two toilets, was completed and ready for use on 6th May, 1973. The
new classroom block was blessed by the parish priest, the Rev. Father
McReynolds, on Wednesday, 7th February, 1973.

The Diocesan contribution of
£1,600 towards the cost of building was raised in twelve months by the parents
with their fund raising activities. A thanksgiving mass was offered at the
school for the intentions of the people who had supported this project and the
workers who had constructed the building.

In October 1971, Mr Barnfield suggested that a
parent-teacher association should be formed. Ballot papers were sent to all
parents and they were able to vote members on to the committee from a list of
nominations received. Mr Barnfield agreed to be the first chairman and Mr
Tucker the secretary. Parent representatives elected were Mr E. T. Quarrell
(treasurer), Mrs W. England, Messrs R. A. Hale, P. Brown and R. V. Clarke.
After three years, in 1974, the Parent-Teacher Association decided to
concentrate their efforts for the purpose of raising sufficient money to build a
swimming pool at the school. However, there were objections from local
residents regarding the siting of the pool and a delay was caused in its
construction.

The Holy Rosary Convent also sold off most of the spare land
around the convent in 1971 and the venue of the annual garden fete was changed
to the school. This was very appropriate as the money raised at garden fetes
held in the convent grounds over the previous twenty years had done much to
secure the building of the school.

Mr Barnfield encouraged staff to take the children to
places of interest and various trips were arranged around Bridgwater including
school camps at Greatwood, near Nether Stowey. Other excursions further afield,
including Cricket St Thomas, Bristol Zoo, London, Clifton Cathedral and
Doddington House were also arranged. The children also participated with other
local schools in sports and recreational activities. The school had an
outstanding record in chess, winning the league championship every year in the
1970's, largely due to the enthusiasm of Mr Tucker, who resigned in 1980. The
Annual Christmas Concert proved to be a very popular event with parents, and Mr
Barnfield introduced consultation evenings between parents and teachers.

Some
of the changes in the liturgy, as a result of Vatican II Council, were also
being implemented, and the first classroom mass was held in 1970. Children
received First Confession and First Holy Communion annually at the school and
the older children had the opportunity of being confirmed when the Bishop
visited every second year. These sacraments were administered at the school due
to the restrictions in accommodation at the church.

The school lost two
good friends during this period. Sq. Ldr Haddon, who, as manager, had done much
to secure the building of the additional classroom, died .on 16th September,
1975, and the requiem mass was attended by Mr Barnfield and six of the older
children from .the school. Shortly afterwards, on 22nd April, 1976, there was
another death of a manager, Mr Jack Nation, who had resigned in 1971, and
presented the school with a mahogany lectern on his retirement. This matched
the altar and was built by Mr Hamrozy. Through Mr Nations efforts with the
garden fetes and bazaars, he had done much to realise the dreams of building a
new school. A large congregation, was present at his requiem, and the school
was represented by Mr Barnfield, Mr Tucker and Mrs McGuire, together with some
of the children attending the school.

Mr Barnfield resigned as headmaster
in the summer of 1976, to take up another appointment, and Mr Tucker became
acting head until the managers appointed a permanent successor. The parents
continued to raise money through varied events to build a swimming pool as
planning permission had now been granted, and also supported a request from Mr
Tucker for contributions to enable the school to purchase a new colour
television.

On 29th October, 1976, all the school managers met, with Mr
N. Widgery, County Education Officer, to interview six candidates for the post
of head teacher. Mr R. I. Hancock was appointed to take up his duties on 1st
January 1977 and so became the youngest head teacher in Somerset.

There were
one hundred and ninety-eight children on roll with seven teachers. The birth
rate in England was falling and Mr Callaghan, Prime Minister, had introduced the
"Great Debate", whereby schools were becoming more accountable and money for
education was restricted. It was, therefore, more important than ever before to
win the trust and co-operation of parents.

Due to the delay in building the swimming pool, costs had
escalated. It was agreed by Mr Hancock and the committee of the Parent-Teacher
Association that, in order to make the project viable, every effort should be
made to complete the swimming pool as soon as possible. The parents responded
magnificently, and, during the spring and early summer of 1977, worked every
weekend under the guidance of Mr Clayton (a parent and builder), laying
foundations and erecting the pool and changing rooms. There was a marvellous
spirit among those dads who freely gave their time and a great achievement when
the project was completed in four months without the services of any outside
contractor. The swimming pool was officially opened as part of the Silver
Jubilee Celebrations on 2nd June, 1977. Mr Barnfield, former headmaster, was
invited to officially open the pool with Mr Hancock and the school managers.

The children joined in the celebrations by entertaining
parents with country and maypole dancing, A fancy dress parade was organised
using the theme of the previous twenty-five years, and each child was presented
with a Jubilee crown, some donated by Sedgemoor District Council and the
remainder by the managers.

The Parent-Teacher Association was faced with a debt of
£1,500 on the swimming pool, but, due to the success of two sponsored events,
namely a sponsored spelling and a sponsored splash, £900 of this was quickly
raised. Fr McReynolds, chairman of the managers, agreed to loan the
Parent-Teacher Association the balance of £600 interest free, and this was
n a of the pool opening.

During the last seven years, parents have been very
supportive to the school and encouraged to take an active part in its
activities. It is now quite common to see parents helping teachers, both inside
and outside the classroom. Projects tackled have included the building of a
Wendy-house and shop in the infant play area; additional shelving for storage;
providing new curtains for the hall, completely repainting all the classrooms,
and carrying out maintenance on the swimming pool. Numerous items have also
been purchased through the Parent-Teacher Association for the benefit of the
children, such as display boards, musical instruments, crib figures, radios and
a video recorder. The Parent-Teacher Association has flourished, not only in
fund raising, but has become an important means of educating parents in modern
trends in education. Topics for educational evenings have varied from school
meals to conservation, besides giving parents an insight into how religion,
mathematics and reading are taught in the school. Social events have also
helped to cement relationships between parents and teachers, through dances,
skittle evenings and an annual summer barbecue, introduced in 1980, which has
become a very popular family event.

Full use is made of the school buildings. Besides
Parent-Teacher Association activities, there are several after-school clubs for
the children and badminton for the parents. The parish also takes advantage of
the facilities, for besides the annual fete and over 60's dinner, the St
Joseph's Cub Pack meet weekly and the youth club occasionally holds dances.

The school continues to take an active part in friendly
competition with other local schools with notable success in football, chess,
netball, athletics and road safety competitions. The children are encouraged to
take an active part in the local community including the parish, by organising a
monthly Sunday mass at St Joseph's Church and inviting parishioners to events
taking place at the school, such as to the second performance of the Christmas
concert, introduced in 1980. The children also show their concern towards
others by visiting homes or old people at harvest time and by singing carols at
Christmas. Money is raised by the pupils using inventive ideas for worthy
charities such as the missions, the blind, the aged, the handicapped and those
less fortunate in the Third World.

Educational visits have become an important part of
children's education, so that each year all children have at least one
excursion. It has now become a tradition for the older children to take part in
a residential camp, which has been arranged in all corners of Somerset. Also a
visit was made to the Wye Valley and a more ambitious camp is being planned to
the Isle of Wight in 1984.

St Josephs School has a very wide catchment area with
children travelling up to six miles from their homes to school and parents often
make great: sacrifices to send their children to a Catholic school. To ensure
that all Catholic children in the area attend the school, Mr Hancock, with the
help of parents from the Polden Villages, started a private coach, travelling
from their villages each day. This was introduced in 1980, and has proved to be
a great success. Fr McReynolds also agreed at this time to subsidise any
Catholic parent in need, wishing to send their child to the school. Many
non-Catholic parents in the area applied for their children to attend the
school, and in 1978, due to falling rolls, the managers agreed to admit a
limited number of non-Catholic children, after giving priority to Catholic
families. The parents of non-Catholic children have become very supportive of
the school and greatly appreciate the religious atmosphere and emphasis
appertaining in the school, given by the teachers.

To ensure that rising fives settle well in school,
preliminary visits are arranged for those children, during the summer term,
prior to their being admitted to the school in the September.

At the age of 11+ the children transfer to many different
schools. It was very sad to see certain options taken from parents of girls
with the closing of St Joseph's Convent School, Taunton, in 1977 and La Retraite Convent School, Burnnam-on-Sea, in 1983. However, some parents have
taken advantage of the new Catholic/Anglican school of St Augustine of
Canterbury at Taunton. The staff at St Joseph's have tried to improve liaison
between all secondary comprehensive schools by regular meetings and by taking an
active interest in children after they have transferred. There is also regular
contact with the Holy Rosary Convent, although the last sister to teach at the
school was Sister Mary Mason, who left in 1980, thus breaking the tradition of a
Holy Rosary Sister on the teaching staff for the previous forty years.

The priests take an active part in the children's religious
development and attend school for masses both in the hall and classrooms.
Penitential services are also arranged with first confessions in the school.
Since the church has been extended first Holy Communion and Confirmation have
been celebrated at the church. Parents have been made aware of their
responsibilities in preparing children for the sacraments and are helped by
meetings arranged at the school by clergy and teaching staff.

In 1982, the school joined in the parish celebrations of
the centenary of the church in Binford Place. The schools contribution took the
form of a pageant.

The new St Joseph's School 6th November 1981, 11-15am
The year before the centenary of St Joseph's Church.

After many rehearsals, two performances were given on 25th
March, at 2.00 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. at St Joseph's Church, just after the
extension to the church was completed. The production depicted the history of
the Catholic Church in Bridgwater from the year 1200 up to the present day.
Approximately one hundred and sixty children were involved in the pageant, and
thanks to the hard work of the staff a most excellent standard was achieved.
The church was packed for both performances and will long be remembered as an
outstanding success. It must have been very satisfying for Fr McReynolds to see
the completion of the church extension in its centenary year, before he
announced his retirement later in that year.

St Joseph's School celebrated its own centenary a year
later, in 1983, and the staff and parents were determined to make it a special
year, by organising several additional events. On 5th May, 1983, the school had
a special centenary day. All the children in the school were involved with
Victorian projects and mounted an impressive display in the classrooms and
entrance hall. A collection of photographs of the last 100 years was exhibited
to help children appreciate what the old school was like and something of its
history. Everyone, including the teaching and other members of staff, wore
Victorian costume and celebrated a special Victorian day consisting of games,
maypole dancing, physical training lesson, sing-a-long and lunch. To bring
everyone back to the Twentieth Century a video film was taken recording the
day's events.

Many other special events were held throughout the year,
but one of the highlights must have been the special production of Oliver Twist,
performed by parents and teachers, for all the children, accompanied by their
parents. Two evening performances were given in May 1983 to packed houses. All
the cast worked tremendously hard to ensure an excellent-evening for all those
privileged enough to enjoy the talent on view and endorse the very strong
relationships that exist between the staff and parents. The production was so
popular that a third performance was arranged to give parishioners an
opportunity to see the show. A collection was taken at the end of each
performance and given towards the cost of purchasing centenary mugs for each
child attending St Joseph's School during 1983. These mugs were presented by
Bishop Mervyn Alexander, when he visited in October 1983 to celebrate a special
centenary mass concelebrated with Fr Aherne, Fr Page and former parish priests,
Canon Ryan and Fr McReynolds. The teachers and children again rose to the
occasion and arranged a special mass of a very high standard, witnessed by the
governors, sisters of the Holy Rosary Convent, a former St Joseph's School pupil
representative from each of the secondary schools and many parents and
parishioners. At the end of mass, the Bishop unveiled the portrait of the 1983
staff (dressed in Victorian costume) kindly donated by the governors of the
school to commemorate the centenary year.

Looking back over the last hundred
years, there have been many changes and developments in St Joseph's School. The
two hundred and fifteen children who are at school in 1983 are reaping the
benefit of those who made such great sacrifices in the past. Education reflects
changes in society and never have they become more apparent than at this time.
There are many changes taking place in all schools, including St Joseph's, to
equip the pupils for modern society and make them adaptable and able to cope
with change. There are, of course, visible signs of change, even in the school
uniform, which is still considered to be very important and designed to be a
practical and smart uniform for both summer and winter. Standards are as
important in 1983 as at any time, and parents take an active interest in their
children's education and are better informed by information booklets produced by
schools.

St Joseph's School has enjoyed a fine reputation throughout its
history and with the continued support and goodwill of parents, can look forward
enthusiastically to the future. Just before the end of the centenary year
members of the Parent-Teacher Association dug footings for a wall to be built
around the swimming pool, to replace the original wood fencing. The timing of
this work was appropriate and a good indication that the school can develop even
more in the future, built on the very strong foundations of the past.

List of School
Managers/Governors

Dr B. Martin 1962 -
1967

Mr J. Nation 1962 -
1971

Mrs L. Hannam 1962 -
1970

Hon. Miss M. Acland-Hood 1962 - 1973

Councillor F. Phiilips 1962 -
1973

Sq. Ldr A. S. Haddon 1967 - 1975

Mrs B. Bere
1971 - to present day

Mr P. Nation
1973 - to present day

Mrs M. Carter
1973 - to present day

Mrs Drake-Brockman 1974 - 1977

Mr J. Devlin 1976 -
1979

Mr D. Stanley
1977 - to present day

Mr J. Fieldhouse
1977 - to present day

Each Parish Priest was elected chairman during his time in
the Parish of Bridgwater and these included Fr Morrissey, Fr McReynolds, Fr Dee
and Fr Aherne.

Head
teachers at St Joseph's new School

Sister Ligouri Sept
1963 - July 1969

Mr P. A. Barnfield April
1970 - July 1976

Mr R. I. Hancock Jan 1977
- to present

Deputy
head teachers at St Joseph's new school

Mr H. Passman Sept 1963
- April 1965

Mr J. Tucker
Sept 1965 - July 1980

Mr M. Fouler Sept
1981 - to present

Assistant
teachers at St Joseph's new school:

Sr B. Soubirous 1963 -
1964

Miss J. Broun 1963 -
1970

Miss T. Leser 1963 -
1970

Sr M. Hyacinth 1964- 1966

Mrs J. Newcomb 1965- to present

Sr M. Alexis 1965- 1966

Miss Rowbottom 1965- 1966

Miss Rowland 1966 only

Sr Michele 1966- 1969

Mr D. Langley 1967- 1973

Mrs E. Scott (formerly Miss Toombs) 1967- 1969

Miss M. Hill 1967- 1969

Sr M. Cathy 1969- 1972

Sr Margaret 1969- 1972

Mr R. Gardner 1970- 1974

Mrs P. Bennett 1970- 1972

Sr M. John 1971- 1976

Sr M. Pauline 1972 only

Miss J. King 1972- 1973

Mrs H. Lord (formerly Miss Mooney) 1973- 1977

Mrs C. Madden 1973- 1974

Mrs C. Plowright 1973- 1982

Mrs M. S. McGuire 1973- to present

Mrs E. Poole (formerly Miss Connor) 1974- 1977

Sr Mary Mason 1976- 1980

Mrs K. Boddy 1978- 1980

Mr M. Chisnall 1978- 1980

Miss M. McCabe 1980- 1983

Mrs J. Gray (Supply) 1980- 1982

Miss A. Roberts 1980- to present

Mrs M, Weaver (formerly Miss Peat) 1982- to present

Mrs T.
Mitchell 1982-to present

Miss C. Noblet 1983-to present

Mrs P. A. Fisher (part-time) 1983-to present

Secretaries

Mrs W. Hutchings 1963 - 1965

Mrs T. N.
Clark 1965 - to present

General school
assistants

Mrs M.
Russ 1973

Mrs W. Puddy (formerly Mrs Hand) 1977 to present

Caretaker and
Cook

At the time of producing this booklet Mrs E. M. Webber is
caretaker at the school and Mrs B. Hodge